Although in principle the invention can be used for fastening a wide range of facing components, the invention and the underlying problem are described in greater detail below using the example of fastening a plate-shaped facing component for the inner facing of a modern passenger aircraft. This facing component may, for example, be a side wall element of the inner facing of the aircraft cabin.
Side wall elements of the inner facing of the cabin (also known as side wall panels or window panels) are amongst the last components to be assembled when fitting out the inside of a passenger aircraft before the passenger seats are installed. As the inner facing of the cabin may be exposed to vibrations and impact-type loads during flight, it should be reliably fastened to structural components of the aircraft.
WO 2009/080641 A1 describes a plug-in mounting bracket for detachably mounting an inner facing on a fuselage, for example. The plug-in mounting bracket comprises a connector to be fitted on the sub-structure and a holder which can be installed on a part of the facing. The connector is provided with a retaining pin which comprises a recess which can be engaged with a spring-biased slide mechanism in the holder. A pivotally mounted cam lever is provided to unlock the plug-in mounting bracket.
However, such a mounting bracket for inner facing components for aircraft has a complex design and is complicated to manufacture, making it expensive. This needs to be improved.